Crimson Tide rolls past Spartans

The loss still stung.

Norfolk State head coach Robert Jones yells in to his team during an NCAA college basketball game against Alabama, Saturday, Jan. 2, 2016, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. It would be more surprising if he noticed them at all.

Said Saban of Coker, “I wasn’t surprised at all by the game he had tonight”.

The win gave Alabama a better-than-anticipated 10-3 nonconference record as it heads into league play Thursday at Ole Miss. Its final — and perhaps biggest — will come in the national championship game against Alabama’s dominating defense.

“The focus that we had for this game was completely different than we ever had before, and I think it paid off”, UA coach Nick Saban said.

The Tide took a 33-28 half time lead, on the back of hot three-point shooting (6-14), while only shooting 41% (10-24) overall. “We’ve just got a lot of athletes on the outside, and Calvin did a great job of getting open and making plays”, Coker said.

Alabama quarterback Jake Coker was razor sharp against the Spartans, completing 25 of 30 passes for 286 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.

Jones added a high-stepping 57-yard punt return touchdown for the Tide, which hardly even had to use the 242-pound Henry. Supporting Watson in the backfield is fellow sophomore Wayne Gallman, who has rushed for 1,469 yards and 12 touchdowns, including a 150-yard, two touchdown performance against the Sooners. The last time Michigan State had been shut out was in a 14-0 loss at Michigan in October 2000. Alabama’s defensive front was so good – against a pretty good offensive line – that it got pressure on Cook despite often rushing only four.

The ‘Bama fans were having fun, though, breaking out the “S-E-C!” chant and singing along to “Sweet Home Alabama” with that familiar “Roll Tide Roll!”. They started this season with a 35-17 win against Wisconsin, another Big Ten team, on September 5. Clemson is scheduled to play Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl NCAA college football game on New Year’s Eve.

After losing to Ohio State in a CFP semifinal last season, the Crimson Tide were all business in their second trip this season to AT&T Stadium.

ARLINGTON, Texas – The above quote represents the most polite way a defender can say that he thinks his team’s best chance to win a game is to put it in the hands of the opposing quarterback.

“We’re excited”, Allen said.

He was done for the day as if it was a September game against one of those nonconference cupcakes. “It’s like a reward, because if you stop the run, you get to pass rush”.

They talked about how some players were too concerned about where they would be drafted or partying on Bourbon Street last season.

Smart was thrilled with the weeklong focus and effort of the players, saying, “They practiced to the tune of a shutout”. The players set the curfews this week.

But let’s be honest: Clemson wouldn’t still be undefeated if “ALABAMA” had appeared on the schedule during September, October, November or December. When the long distance isn’t connecting, the team does not have the inside game to be able to pound the ball inside.

Michigan State embraced its role as the underdog and came in expecting to slug it out with the Tide. The Spartans offensive line watched video of the 1971 Ali-Frazier fight to prepare for what it expected to be a 15-round heavyweight bout. The Spartan receivers found little room in the Ride secondary as the speed of the defensive backs held them in check and led to the first-half INT thrown by Connor Cook.

“It was like they didn’t want to take on any blockers on”, Reed said.